Peter said to him, "Lord... I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times." - John 12:37-38It is far easier to say we believe than it is to believe. And it is substantially more difficult to live those beliefs.
There is little trouble in making faith declarations on a Sunday morning, surrounded by like-minded people. The tough stuff comes on a Monday mid-morning in the office, a Wednesday afternoon in the classroom, a Saturday night… wherever you may find yourself.
Earlier, I chose the word substantially. I did so on purpose. Because faith - true faith - is substantive.
Both James and the writer of Hebrews make this point. Faith isn't a just a cognitive exercise. Nor is it limited to words. These are just the beginning. But left by themselves, they fall short of biblical faith.
Faith does. Faith acts. Faith is a living thing - because it is focused on a living Christ, and born out of a living relationship. And the evidence of faith is in the doing of faith.
Back to Peter: It's an emotional night in that little upper room. All the disciples know something is up. Jesus seems deep in thought - troubled in spirit. It started off weird with Jesus stripping down and washing each man's feet. Uncomfortable! And what's up with Judas? Is he just worried about the funds, or is it something more?
In the midst of all this, Jesus says he is leaving soon. Peter stands up and says, "Wait a minute, I'm coming too, I will gladly lay down my life for you."
Faith declaration... The doing? Well, you know what is to come. An arrest in a garden. A mob in full lynch mode. A denial. A crowing rooster. A glance from Jesus. And a broken heart.
Thank God Peter's story doesn’t end in that courtyard - cursing and denying. In a few chapters we'll see a restoration on a sandy shore. Then comes empowerment. Peter's story from there? Faith in action!
My guess, if you take the time to read any of these posts, is that you've made a faith declaration of some sort. And you, like I, struggle daily in the living out of that faith. Peter's story didn't end in that upper room, nor with his denial. And our story doesn't end here - between the declaring and the doing.
In 1988 Nike coined the slogan "Just do it." The roots however, are much older. "Nike" is actually an ancient Greek word; it means "victory." And the victory for us today is not in the declaration. Nor is it in the moving of mountains. Our victory is in the small steps of faith.
Just do it.
God, I declare my faith, even more importantly, today I will do my faith.
For now...
D
